Some things don’t make sense, and one of them is Gareth Bale becoming the most expensive soccer player in the history of the sport if whatever it is the media is reporting that Real Madrid are willing to pay for him. Tottenham don’t want to sell? It doesn’t mean that the Spanish giants should break the bank for a player with one outstanding season in his career.
Bale might be a player that managers misused early in his career, but he’s had only one season, so far, that can be considered special. Last season, scoring 21 goals for Spurs, although not enough to lead them into the Champions League, once again.
We get it – he’s phenomenal physical specimen, with speed, strength, power and athleticism that’s very rare to see in a footballer, not to mention his dribbling and shooting skills. He’s even an incredible throw-in taker, only he has so much more to offer he doesn’t become a cult figure like Rory Delap.
But there are two examples that make this insane chase after Gareth Bale a bit too weird for my taste. When Cristiano Ronaldo was purchased by Real Madrid in 2009 for £80 million, making him the most expensive footballer in history, he was coming off his third consecutive season with at least 23 goals. He had his incredible 2007-2008 season, scoring 42 goals in all competitions, leading Manchester Untied to the Champions League title. He was a three-time champion with the club, and a Ballon d’Or winner.
When Zinedine Zidane set the previous record in 2001, leaving Juventus for Real Madrid, he was a World and European champions with France, and two time league champion with Juventus in the Serie A. While his scoring wasn’t on the same level of Ronaldo’s or Bale’s, there was no doubt he was one of the top 2-3 footballers in the world, and deserved to be “honored” in such a way with the fee Real Madrid paid for him.
However, when you set certain standards, you can’t beat them financially yet tarnish them professionally. Bale for Real Madrid doesn’t make much sense as long as Cristiano Ronaldo is on the team, but that is besides the point. Making a statement like purchasing Bale for £90 million or even £100 million sends out the wrong message. Players shouldn’t cost that much money, and certainly not players who aren’t at the top of their sport.
Tottenham must be insane to keep on refusing, but it seems to be either actually pushing Real Madrid to add numbers and zeros to their checks, or simply stir up more fuel and speculation in the media, who might be the actual driving force behind all of this. When there isn’t actual football to write about, transfer rumors are the next best thing, and making these insane price attachments to Bale is the “best” piece of news this summer for some.
How much better can Gareth Bale make Real Madrid? Having him on the team means either Isco, or Mesut Ozil or someone else has to be left out. It means Cristiano Ronaldo might not play at his best position. How many players who can shoot from long range does one team need in its lineup, when its clear there are other issues to deal with in order to beat Barcelona and win the Champions League? Bale might make a shiny new toy, but he’s not the right upgrade and fix to bring Real where they want to be.